The Potez 840 that resembled a Viscount crossed with a Jetsteram first flew on 29 April 1961. Powered by four 440shp (328 kW) Turboméca Astazou II It had a crew of three and a cabin for 18 passengers. A second aircraft flew in June 1962 and had more powerful 600shp (447 kW) Turboméca Astazou XII engines.
It was planned to build a batch of 25 aircraft for Chicago based Turbo Flight Inc. but only two more prototype aircraft were built, one for static testing. The next two aircraft were designated the Potez 841 powered by 550shp (417 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-6 turboprops. Two more modified Aztazou-powered aircraft Potez 842 were produced, one in 1965 and one in 1967. A total of 8 the 840srs were built and it never had a chance of being the DC-3 replacement!
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| 840 c/n 02 F-BMCY. Photo Propfreak |
Crew: 3
Capacity: 18 passengers
Length: 15.89 m (52 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 19.60 m (64 ft 4 in)
Height: 5.19 m (17 ft 0½ in)
Wing area: 35.0 m2 (377 ft2)
Empty weight: 5,430 kg (11,970 lb)
Gross weight: 8,900 kg (19,620 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Turboméca Astazou X turboprop, 477 kW (640 hp) each
Performance:
Maximum speed: 500 km/h (310 mph)
Cruising speed: 500 km/h (311 mph)
Range: 3,000 km (1,865 miles)
Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 10.5 m/s (2,065 ft/min)
